He brought an applause sign to dinner

He told me he liked a woman who could celebrate his wins. Sure. I can say congratulations. I own confetti somewhere. At dinner, he ordered the salmon and placed a little battery-powered APPLAUSE sign beside the bread. He clicked it on. I laughed because obviously this was a joke. He waited, then said, “That was a decisive choice.” I gave him two tiny claps. This was a terrible investment. He activated the sign after asking for extra lemon, remembering the server's name, and putting his napkin in his lap. When nobody at the next table joined in, he turned the sign toward them. The server asked him to stop flashing it at other guests. He said people had forgotten how to support excellence. I finished dinner listening to a man explain why ordering fish deserved external validation. Outside, he announced he'd successfully called himself a ride and reached for the remote. I applauded with genuine enthusiasm. Finally, an achievement I could support.